التفاوتات الاجتماعية والبحث عن العمل ف الجزائر: دراسة ميدانية لاستراتيجيات عينة من طلبة جامعة عين تموشنت المقبلين على التخرج

Abstract

Our study focused on social inequalities and the job-seeking strategies of Algerian students. It explored how inherited "social capital" becomes a central tool for reproducing inequality. Therefore, our research question was: To what extent does social capital, as a product of structural social inequalities, constitute a central mechanism for reproducing inequality in the access of new university graduates to the Algerian labor market, through the varying strategies adopted in job searching and professional integration? To address this question, we adopted the following fundamental hypothesis: The higher the amount of social capital possessed by graduating university students, as a direct result of structural social inequalities (class, geographical, cultural, and economic), the more effective their job-seeking strategies become, and the faster and better their professional integration. This, in turn, constitutes a central mechanism for reproducing inequality in access to the Algerian labor market. In our study, we adopted the sociological approach of Pierre Bourdieu's social capital theory. We also chose the descriptive method, as it aligns with our research objectives related to structural social inequalities and job search strategies. To access the field, we conducted interviews to gather field data. Our study was conducted at Belhadj Bouchaib University in Ain Temouchent. We selected a purposive sample of 10 graduating students from the Faculty of Arts, Languages, and Social Sciences. Based on the hypothesis adopted in our study, it became clear that students from affluent backgrounds rely on "effective" relational networks that accelerate their professional integration. In contrast, students from working-class backgrounds are forced to resort to formal channels with limited effectiveness, thus perpetuating structural disparities within the framework of the "merit-based" principle.